Surf's Up! Surfing Dogs to Appear on Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods "World's Heaviest and Longest Float" Powered by Ford Motor Company
- Natural Balance Pet Foods and Ford team up for the "World's Heaviest and Longest Float" in this years big Jan 2 parade in Pasadena.
- The float, weighing more than 50 tons and powered by a Ford F-Series Super Duty gasoline engine, will be certified by Guinness World Records® as the "World's Heaviest and Longest Float"
- This float follows other beloved floats from Natural Balance like the snowboarding, skateboarding and skimboarding dog floats
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's going to take dogged power to propel the world's heaviest and longest float ever in the parade.
Hot on the heels (or is it paws?) of some of the most beloved Rose Parade floats in history, Natural Balance returns in 2012 with a gigantic Ford-powered float that features surfing dogs. Starring Tillman the bulldog and his athletic canine friends including a first ever appearance of Internet sensation 'Norman the scooter dog.'
Sponsored by Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods, celebrity canines Tillman & Friends will be having fun in the sun, as it's "Surf's Up" on this over 116 foot long float set on a moving beach with 'live' waves created by the World's first rolling white water surfing machine. After extensive training, the dogs will actually surf on waves in more than 6,600 gallons of water on a float weighing more than 100,000 pounds.
"Trying to set the Guinness record for the World's longest and heaviest float is no small engineering feet. That's why I was so happy that Ford is providing the engine and transmission to make sure our over 100,000 pound float will be ok as it rolls down the street for this year's parade," said Joey Herrick President Natural Balance Pet Foods.
The record breaking float is driven by the same Ford-built and designed 6.8-liter three-valve V10 gasoline engine that powers Ford's best-selling F-Series Super Duty chassis cab work trucks, E-Series vans and the new 2012 Ford F-650 medium duty truck. The engine is paired with a fuel-efficient Ford six-speed automatic transmission. The same engine also can be easily modified to run on clean-burning compressed natural gas.
"The Built Ford Tough 6.8-liter V10 is one dependable engine," said George Weber, President and CEO, Ford Component Sales. "Over the last decade, it's powered nearly half a million Ford trucks and vans. Every day, Ford customers across the U.S. use this 10-cylinder workhorse for commerce and recreation, from towing a trailer to a campground to plowing snowy streets."
The world record-breaking Tillman, holder of the Guinness World Record as the fastest skateboarding dog, is going for two new Guinness World Records on the 2012 Natural Balance float. Natural Balance will attempt to break its own world record as the longest Rose Parade float in history (awarded in 2010 at 113 feet long) in addition to the record for the heaviest float in a Parade. Natural Balance holds the Guinness World Record for their 2011 Rose Parade float entry weighing in at 84,300 pounds.
NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, who races a Ford Fusion, will sit up front with Dick and Jimmy Van Pattento help guide the float. Greg and his wife Nicole are founders of the Greg Biffle Foundation created to help awareness and serve as an advocate for the well being of all animals.
"I can't wait to see the float," said Biffle. "I've heard a lot about this year's Natural Balance float and I've seen video of the floats from the last couple of years. Tillman came to our shop at Roush-Fenway Racing last month and we got to see him skateboard. He'll be surfing on the float this year so I can't wait to see that. It was definitely an honor to be asked to be on the Natural Balance float because we share the same passion for the well-being of animals."
Look for the Natural Balance Pet Foods float in the 123rd Tournament of Roses® Parade, presented by Honda, on January 2, 2012.
About Natural Balance Pet Foods
Since 1989, Dick Van Patten and his partner Joey Herrick have been supplying the public with premium quality dog and cat foods. Today Natural Balance Pet Foods, Inc. has grown into an international company providing pet foods throughout the United States, Canada, The Pacific Rim and Europe. The Natural Balance product line consists of more than 50 dog and cat food varieties, including: Ultra Premium dry & canned formulas for all life stages of dogs & cats, as well as new grain-free additions to the L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® collection for dogs & cats. Natural Balance also makes Dog Food Rolls in four varieties: Lamb, Beef, Turkey, Duck & Potato. Also specializing in Tillman's Training Tips® and Healthy Bones® treats for dogs. Natural Balance also has Zoological Formulas made especially for lions, tigers, cheetahs, polar bears, snakes and carnivorous birds. Natural Balance is headquartered in Pacoima, CA and is available at PETCO and local independent pet stores. More information is available at www.naturalbalanceinc.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
SOURCE Natural Balance Pet Foods
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